Finally capping off a state budget process that went over a month past its April 1 deadline, Governor Kathy Hochul on Wednesday signed the budget bill containing most of the spending plan’s major policy items — known as the “Big Ugly” — into law.
Hochul also signed into law Wednesday other parts of thespending plan, separated into a series of bills passed by the Assembly and state Senate Tuesday night. That
During a ceremony where Hochul signed the bill in Upper Manhattan Wednesday morning, she said that while it took “some extra time” to cement a final deal, the end result was worth the wait. Stewart-Cousins, in a Wednesday morning statement, said she’s “proud” of the budget for its inclusion of what she described as policies and funding that help pull New Yorkers on the “bottom rung” up.
State Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins on the Senate floor, while the chamber votes on the Fiscal Year 2024 state budget.The budget’s lateness this year mostly hinged on negotiations over changes Hochul sought to state bail laws, which were overhauled in 2019 to eliminate cash bail for most misdemeanors and non-violent felonies. The reforms were intended to spare legally innocent people from languishing in dangerous carceral settings, like Rikers Island, while awaiting trial.
“The agreement … removes what is known as the least restrictive means standard, which judges have said ties their hands,” Hochul said Wednesday. “It now gives them discretion if they need to hold violent criminals accountable.”
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